FlyCamOne2 Micro Video Camera

Version-2: 3" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" (camera only), 1 oz. V.2 changes include: larger resolution, LCD display, rotating lens, longer battery life, and a thermal activated motion detector. Video camera includes audio, still photos, a voice recorder, USB drive, and a Webcam. Unit is small enough to mount on just about any model airplane, small parkflyers, RC cars, trains, skate boards, or even a kite. Can be remotely activated using an additional servo.

Videos are recorded with a resolution of 640x480 for clear playback, complete with sound, and 640x480 pixels for still photos. Camera lens rotates 90 degrees so you can take photos or video from multiple angles. Built-in rechargeable 200 mAh Li-Ion battery that charges via the USB port on your computer in about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. For video and audio-recordings, FlyCamOne2 requires a minimum sustained write speed of 9 megabytes (MB) per second and a read speed of 10MB per second (not included).

With a 2GB SD card (not included) the video recording time is about 30 minutes. Webcam use requires the included software and USB cable. No software required for all other uses! You can edit and compress the.avi video files using Windows Movie Maker, included with Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista.

Thank You!!!

4 of 4 people found this posting helpful

Review by Whitworth, Chris on Apr 27, 2010

I recently purchased a FlyCamOne2 from you guys... This thing has been a blast!!! When you don't fasten it down good to an 80cc airplane... It will fall off! When you find it in a field that's all red mud and hard as a rock... You'll notice that it's still working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the youTube video of this mishap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHx-Z4XFREA

There are other video up there with it on helicopters, cubs, cardens, F16s... Just do a youTube search on sparkgapstube...

Had this over a year now. First 5 flights good color and clear, then the battery died. Ordered a new one and installed it, now it a pile a junk. bought the extended battery and still won't provide opeations that are consistent or even visiable. I would stay away from this product and be careful of the new FCOIII. Have about $250 tied up in additional stuff and now the camera is a trash. Hate to buy another one and same thing happen. FCO2 customer service is also poor at best.

I gave it two stars for being very compact, being able to record to an SD card, for the camera tilt, and for the camera being flat and oriented so that it can be taped under a wing.

The problems: A very poor 1 cell battery. Even when the camera was new, if the outdoor temperature was under 55 degrees F, the camera would shut off after about 3 minutes. (It's supposed to run 1/2 hour.) In warm weather, after I had the FCO2 for about 6 months, the battery would run out and shut down the camera after about 3 minutes. This is ridiculous, and I'm not the only one with this problem. Their solution is an overpriced single-cell auxiliary battery.

Next, the camera. As a pinhole camera, it has a lot to be desired. Since so little light is let in, as the camera's view changes from the sky to the ground, it takes several seconds to brighten the video. The video is also in 640x480, which is OK for You Tube, but not that great, especially when viewed on a laptop or LCD screen of high resolution, because the view is so small. Of course I realized what the resolution was when I bought it.

Finally, the manual's font is so tiny that you will need glasses and a magnifying lens to read it. Really. Print out the online manual, instead.

The camera works quite well as evidenced by my youtube videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9y143xalFk

However, like other people have said, it does not work well out in the cold. Battery goes dead after 3 or 4 mins of flight. One idea (if possible) is to mount it near your battery to keep it warm.
It is also very light and all my parkflyers have had no problem carrying it. It is worth the $$ so grab yourself one and have FUN!! :)

Great buy. I love this camera. I originally bought it to take video while flying my Parkzone F-27C Striker. It takes great video. I put a piece of clear tape over the mic to kill some of the wind noise. I recently mounted it to the dash of my car and got great video while running an autocross event.

I think this camera offers a pretty good bang for the buck. The instructions are are the only reason I'm not giving it a 5 star rating. But, all the information you need is available on RCGroups, if you are willing to invest the time necessary to read through all the threads and learn from everyone else. So far, I really like mine.

Review by Calkins, Joseph(Pennsylvania USA) on Jul 30, 2009The reviewer has last purchased this item on Aug 17, 2009

I have had experience with three FlyCamOne2 video cameras now. One of them takes very sharp videos. Another I returned when I received it because the image quality was much worse than the original one I had. The replacement camera was a little better. I think there is a variability in the lenses in these cameras.
My advice is to return/exchange it if the picture is not sharp. Also, after about 1 year the internal LiPo battery loses its vitality. My original camera will only capture 1 minute of video now, even though the battery was fully charged. I am trying to get a replacement battery for it.

I bought this after having the first version and was looking forward to the improvements as the old version had audio lag in the video. The picture was better quality but the audio lag was still there and only after several firmware updates did they finally fix the lag issue. Now it works fine, so make sure to upgrade the firmware. I use this camera mounted to a pair of safety glasses and video tape my models when I fly. The "Head Cam" is great for taking notes on a model when flying and also for getting audio samples to check the speed of your model when used in conjunction with doppler software.

Even with a poor instructions the camera really works good on a video mode with a little delay between the video and audio... I am downloading the new firmware and I hope it resolves my problem.. I never tried the photo mode..I also returned the camera to Hobby Lobby two times before figure out the reason why the SD Card was popping up alone..you have to press hardly into slot with your nail or with an thin object.
Check some videos on my youtube www.youtube.com/user/claudiusgalo before you invest your money...You must watch in HQ

Review by Miller, Matt(South Carolina USA) on May 20, 2009The reviewer has last purchased this item on Mar 30, 2009

I'll go ahead and give this a 5 star, even though the directions are horrible. Once I got it figured out.... this thing is a champ!

Here is the key... it ONLY works if the SD card is in it and it only works if the SD card is inserted in the right direction. But they don't tell you how to insert the thing. And they don't tell you how to get it out of there either... which I just stuck a fingernail file next to the card and pulled it out.

But this thing takes GREAT video. For the price... you cannot beat it. I have several videos on Youtube right now that were taken on overcast, windy days... they are really good. Here's one that shows some blue sky... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjB_AQzanyA

Neat little camera. I love the way you can hook a servo to it to pan up and down. Video is clear and sound is good too. I actually won this when I caught a parachute dropped by a Telemaster at the NEAT fair in Downsville NY in 2008. Thanks HLI I enjoy my camera a lot.

The best thing about the FC1v2 is that it was designed with aerial photography in mind. It is very light weight and thus can be carried aloft by virtually any RC airplane or heli (well maybe not a micro heli). Video quality is okay (pretty good on a sunny day, less so when cloudy). The biggest complaint I have is with the battery. There appears to be no over-charge protection, so you must be very careful to not leave it plugged into your computer for more than the recommended 2 hours. The battery also does not perform well in cold weather. Otherwise it's a great little video camera that I have had a lot of fun with. Oh, and don't forget to take the protective covering off the lense. I was not very happy with it at all until I realized the plastic was still on the lense after using it a couple of times.

It would be a great camera, if Hobby Lobby actually had it in stock as advertised

5 of 10 people found this posting helpful

Review by Cactus521(Arizona USA) on May 06, 2009The reviewer has last purchased this item on Apr 29, 2009

Ordered the camera a week ago based on the Website saying "In Stock". I also ordered the SD card and headband. I received the SD Card and Headband, but no camera. I was told their new system is reporting the camera in stock when it is not. The website was updated to note it was unavailable. Then today (5/6/09) the website says the camera is again in stock. I called and asked when my order was going to be shipped and was told that they may have cameras in "next week". I think someone needs to get their act together and understand that Hobby Lobby is responsible for the way their products are advertised.

The FlyCamone2 is not for the discriminating videophile. It is quirky and sometimes outright cantankerous. The manufacture website is less than par and don’t upgrade the firmware. The battery is less than perfect and is good for about a year. But this thing takes good pictures from a stable platform (get your prop balanced and use the foam mounting) the video is good. I have some really good pictures and decent video for my $99 price at the time I purchased. So add all that up and it is worth purchasing.

I found that this little device is great for doing video with a small electric plane. I have mine mounted on an Ascent and it is great. The video is sharp and far better than one would expect for such a compact system, 640x480 and in full color. I found that a slow sailplane is the best platform for using the video. I also found that pointing the lens down a little and to one side provides a little better result. I built a pan and tilt unit for my camera and added this to a larger 2m sailplane which has yet to fly. The tilt is coupled to the elevator and the pan is on a separate channel. I also added an on-board battery to extend the record time and use a 2GB SD card.

The only real complaints are that the battery life is short (about 20 minutes) and the buttons are not very sturdy. I would spend an additional $20 for a case and button assembly that is more robust. I built a small charger system to keep the battery topped off and have learned to take care of the buttons and not press as hard so these issues are not a big deal. I paid $99 for my unit so the current price makes this even better.

One other complaint is with the software used to upgrade the firmware. There are different versions of the code and you must use the one for the country you are in. It is not obvious which is which but I was able to make it work by trial and error.

This is my second summer with the Flycam2. I enjoy playing with it. I like the video better than the stills. I just purchased the mount with the built in servo. That mount makes a cleaner installation.

I recently reviewed this camera for Ezone ( http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=800950 ), and I was surprisingly pleased with it, overall.

It does what it's supposed to do, and it's a fun little gadget. It certainly is not a high-end aerial-photography product, but it never was intended to be so.

The controls are somewhat self-intuitive, but it might take you a couple of tries to get it recording the way it's supposed to. Once it's set to record, it does fine. The video quality is not terrible for such a small lens, and the only issue that you'll likely encounter is a bit of lag between the audio and the video.

For club meets, random field footage and the occasional high-altitude pic, this is indeed the way to go. I was pleased with it.